Embodiments relate to additive manufacturing and, more particularly, to a waveguide made with additive manufacturing resulting in a lightweight waveguide capable of being manufactured with diverse shapes while maintaining acceptable tolerances.
A waveguide is a structure that guides waves, such as electromagnetic waves or sound waves where waves, or signal, are able to propagate with minimal loss of energy by restricting expansion to one dimension or two dimensions. Without the physical constraint of a waveguide, signals will typically dissipate according to the inverse square law as they expand into three-dimensional space.
Traditionally, waveguide construction involves metalwork including bending, Computer Numerically Controlled (“CNC”) machine processing, die-cast processing, and taping. Once segmented sections are constructed, they are hand assembled to create the final product. Precision production of metal waveguides is a difficult and expensive process because of the complexity of producing the needed shapes with appropriate shape tolerances. Also, metal waveguides add a significant amount of weight which may limit allowable weight to other components or subsystems when weight requirements are a concern such as, but not limited to, when used on a space vehicle.
Manufacturers and users of waveguides would benefit from lighter weight waveguides in which more diverse shapes can be produced. With respect to waveguides used in applications where weight is a limiting factor, this can lead to dramatic reductions in weight while also providing designers an ability to utilize a volume where the waveguide is to be used more effectively as waveguides may be better designed to fit within the volume of space. Manufacturers and users would also benefit where manufacturing of lightweight waveguides may be an automated or semi-automated process without direct human involvement in creating a final waveguide.